Method of closing glass containers



y 1963 H. A. BARNBY ETAL 3,098,334

METHOD OF CLOSING GLASS CONTAINERS Filed Nov. 3, 1958 Nana INVENTORS Hz BEKJflBAKNBY United States Patent 015 ice 3,098,334 METHOD OF CLOSiNG GLASS CONTAINERS Herbert A. Barnhy and Sam M. Edwards, Toledo, Ohio,

assignors to Owens-Illino'w Glass (Iompany, a corporation of Ohio Filed Nov. 3, 1958, Ser. No. 771,564 Claims. (Cl. 5342) The present invention is a novel method of closing glass containers such, for example, as bottles and jars.

An object of our invention is the provision of a novel method involving multiple use of a single readily deformable sheet metal closure cap in such fashion that in a partially formed state it functions as a dust cover for the container during handling and shipment and later, following filling of the container with a product to be packaged therein, is placed upon that container and reshaped to complete its tormation and thereby secure it in position to effectively hermetically seal the latter.

Other objects will be in part apparent and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In the :drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary side elevational view showing an unfinished closure cap temporarily afiixed to the neck of a bottle to function as a dust cover.

FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1 with the closure cap removed and a filling tube positioned over the container mouth.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary side elevational view illustrating the rolling-in of the screw thread in the skirt and spinning of the lower margin of the latter into engagement with a shoulder or abutment on the bottle neck.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side elevational view of the closure cap completely affixed to the bottle neck.

FIG. 5 is -a fragmentary sectional vie-w with parts in elevation taken substantially along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1.

[In the practice of our method, a glass container, a bottle for example, having a mouth defining neck which is provided with an external screw thread 11 or similar cap retaining means and a downwardly facing shoulder 12 or abutment below the thread 11 is, immediately upon removal from the annealing lehr in the bottle manu-fiacturing plant, fitted with a partially formed closure cap C. This closure cap is produced from readily deformable sheet metal, tin plate for example, and is completed only sufiiciently to permit it to close and function as a temporary dust cover which can be removed with considerable ease in the packers plant. The sole purpose of this cap, so formed, is to prevent entry of dust and other foreign matter into the bottle during shipment and general handling and thereby avoid the need for washing and sterilization in the packers plant, an operation which is rather costly and necessary at the present time, prior to filling and closing of the bottle.

Accordingly, the closure cap C includes a top or panel portion 14 and depending attaching skirt 14, the latter including a conventional tear-strip 15. The skirt is provided with a plurality of inward protuberances 16 which are spaced apart circumferentially of the latter along a generally helical line for frictional holding engagement with the screw thread 11 on the bottle neck 10. This cap effectively serves as a dust cover in the manner and for the purpose explained above.

At such time as the packer is ready to fill and seal the bottle he removes the cover cap automatically by any preferred form of apparatus (not shown) at the inlet end of the filling and closing line (not shown). The bottle moves through or past a filler which may include a delivery tube T and thence to a closing machine of any preferred form (not shown) where the closure eap C, heretofore merely a dust cover, again is telescoped over the neck, bringing the liner 17 into firm hermetic sealing contact with the rim end of the neck. Thereupon skirt reforming devices 18 and 19 (FIG. 3) are brought into engagement with the attaching skirt for the twofold purpose of rolling-in screw threads which conform to and firmly engage the thread of the bottle neck and turning in the lower margin of the tear-strip 15 into holding engagement with the abutment or shoulder 12.

Coincident with the rolling-in of the screw threads in the closure cap skirt the protuberances 16 may, for all practical purposes, be obliterated. In any event they blend into the thread formation to such an extent as not to be unsightly in the finished article.

It is obvious that other means may be resorted tofor temporarily holding the closure cap in place when it is in tended merely to function as a dust cover. As an example, an adhesive of suitable composition could very well be applied to the rim end of the container and function to releasably retain the closure cap upon the bottle.

Modifications may be resorted to within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

We claim:

1. The method which consists in temporarily sealing a newly formed empty jar having an externally threaded neck with a closure cap comprising an unthreaded cuplike shell of readily deformable sheet metal including an attaching skirt dimensioned to be frictionally yet readily removably held on the neck, removing the closure cap substantially at the inlet end of a jar filling and closing line, filling the jar with 'a product to be packaged therein, utilizing said closure cap to finally seal the product-filled jar by again telescoping it over the jar neck into hermetic sealing engagement with the latter and rolling-in areas of the attaching skirt to produce screw threads conforming to and in holding engagement with the threads on the jar.

2. The method defined in claim 1, the closure cap initially being formed with inward protuberances on the skirt positioned for frictional holding engagement with the neck thread and the step of rolling-in a screw thread on the skirt substantially obliterating the protuberances.

3. The method which consists in temporarily sealing a newly formed empty jar having a neck formed with external closure cap retaining means with a partially completed deformable sheet metal closure cap by telescoping the cap over the jar neck and into frictional holding engagement with the retaining means whereby to protect the jar against entry thereinto of foreign material during handling and shipment, removing the closure cap substantially at the inlet end of a filling and closing line, filling the jar with a product to be packaged therein, utilizing said closure cap to finally hermetically seal a product filled j-ar by telescoping it over a portion of the jar into sealing engagement therewith and rolling-in areas of the skirt to produce inward projections conforming to and in firm holding engagement with the retaining means on the jar.

4. In the method of temporarily closing and later permanently hermetically sealing a container with a single deformable sheet metal closure cap, the container having Patented July 23, 1963 an externally screw threaded mouth defining neck and the closure cap having an unthreaded attaching skirt provided with inward protuberances spaced apart circumferentially of the latter; the steps which consist in telescoping the closure cap over the neck of a newly formed empty container and thereby bringing the protuberances into holding engagement with a thread on the container neck, later removing the closure cap, filling the container, reapplying the closure cap to the container neck and deforming areas of the skirt into holding engagement 10 4 5. The method defined in claim 4, the skirt deforming step substantially obliterating the inward protuberances.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 937,401 Wilzin Oct. 19, 1909 1,077,392 Colton Nov. 4, 1913 2,038,524 Carvalho Apr. 28, 1936 2,355,073 Hothersall Aug. 8, 1944 

1. THE METHOD WHICH CONSISTS IN TEMPORARILY SEALING A NEWLY FORMED EMPTY JAR HAVING AN EXTERNALLY THREADED NECK WITH A CLOSURE CAP COMPRISING AN UNTHREADED CUPLIKE SHELL OF READILY DEFORMABLE SHEET METAL INCLUDING AN ATTACHING SKIRT DIMENSIONED TO BE FRICTIONALLY YET READILY REMOVABLY HELD ON THE NECK, REMOVING THE CLOSURE CAP SUBSTANTIALLY AT THE INLET END OF A JAR FILLING AND CLOSING LINE, FILLING THE JAR WITH A PRODUCT TO BE PACKAGED THEREIN, UTILIZING SAID CLOSURE CAP TO FINALLY SEAL THE PRODUCT-FILLED JAR BY AGAIN TELESCOPING IT OVER THE JAR NECK INTO HERMETIC SEALING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE LATTER AND ROLLING-IN AREAS OF THE ATTACHING SKIRT TO PRODUCE SCREW THREADS CONFORMING TO AND IN HOLDING ENGAGEMENT WITH THE THREADS ON THE JAR. 